Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1887-03-15
YESTERDAYS FATALITY.
John Liyesey Drained by Falling
Stone While at Work III
Well.
A Rotten Rope Breaks and Lets the
Fatal Rock Fall On the
Doomed Man.
His Skull Crushed and His Neck
BrOken-Mrs. Livesey'S Pre-.
cariOus Condition.

Yesterday afternoons sad fatality was
a terrible shock to the people OF the
Tenth and Eleventh wards. The news
spread rapidly and hundreds OF people
flocked both to the scene of the accident
and the deceased's residence. Women
and children wept aloud, and on the
faces of the men were expressions OF
sorrow for the dead man andof sympathy
for his grief-stricken widow.
A DEMOCRAT reporter happened to be
in the neighborhood soon after the acct
dent and, in connection with several
others, visited Mr.. Strong's place on
Fourth South street where Mr.. Llvesey
met his death Measurement OF the we'll
showed that it was 40 feet from the sur
face to the bottom, that there was 70 teet
of the shaft walled up, and the depth OF
the water to be z feet.
At the coroner's inquest the following
facts were testified to by the witnesses:
MIR. Livesey had been engaged to rock
up we'll for Mr.. Strong. He had two
young men-Heber Strong and James
Ashman Jr., to help him. In the morn
ing, young Strong had remarked to
Liyesey about the unsafe condition of the
box in which the rocks was lowerd, the
bottom of it being badly broken. 1t was
patched up by placing ten-inch board
on the inside. About half past two the
bows were letting down a box of rocks,
weighing probably seventy-fve pounds.
When it had descended about ten feet
the rope around the box broke, thus let
ting the box tip sidewise, the rock tum-
bling out and falling on the unfortunate
man below. Young Strong looked down,
but heard or saw nothing but the splash
ing and bubbling of the water. The boys
were terribly frightened, and at once ran
for help, which they could not find for
some time. At last, when enough men
had gathered to undertake the
raising of the drowned body, w. G. Cater
volunteering to make the descent, which
he did with graphing irons. A hold was
soon secured, and the body raised feet
first. 1t was Immediately carried home
to his heart-broken wife. For over two
hours there was wait for the snail-like
coroner to make his appearance, which
he finally did in a way that showed that
neither for the living or the dead would
he try to make haste. When he was
found he was tinkering with music box.
He told the man who summoned him that
he would be along after while, which
proved to be the case, but it was a very
long while. When he finally did arrive
Jury was impaneled and the testimony
given. The jury examined the body and
found that the crown OF the head was
crushed in and the neck was broken,
either of which wounds would have
caused instant death. No blame was at
tached to any one, not withstanding the
rope holding the box was very rotten,
but as that had been covered up by
leather for the purpose of protection, of
course the danger was unforeseen.
AS Mrs. Livesey was in very delicate
condition, the unfortunate death of her
husband was doubly trying to her. Just
ten hours after the death of her husband
she gave birth to boy, which she be-
lieyed at the time to have been born
dead. Such was not the case, though it
was a considerable time before it showed
much sign of being alive. For several
hours the mothers life hung in the bal
ance of life and death, but later advices
say that there are encouraging hopes
for her rallying The child is
also doing nicely. By this birth the
fatherless family is increased to six
children. Mr.. John Livesey was forty
two years old and had lived in Utah fol
twenty-five years. He was an honest
Woodworking man and respected by all
who knew him. The funeral services
will be held at the Tenth ward assembly
rooms at 8 o'clock Friends and neigh,
bors are respectfully invited to attend.